Baz Luhrmann's anticipated revamp of the Great American Novel has a trailer – and it's got his signature wild look and sound. The soundtrack is coolly unexpected, starting with Jay Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" and then U2's "Love is Blindness." Taking notes from two of his previous films, "Moulin Rouge" and "Romeo + Juliet," the scenes from "The Great Gatsby" burst with color and hushed salacious secrets. Maybe Luhrmann and the 20s were made for each other?

Yes, the trailer is gorgeous, but will the drama play in 3-D? On first hearing that Luhrmann would make the Fitzgerald classic in 3-D, we were totally averse… and then rethought that this could possibly bring a new intimacy in film (like Cameron's reworking of "Titanic"). Our Cinemacon report indicates that Luhrmann shows no sign of pulling back with this one.

"The Great Gatsby" stars Leonardo DiCaprio, who solidly won our poll on which actor should play Gatsby. His counterparts were more unexpected – the girlish Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, who looks eternally bewildered in the trailer. No way to tell if they all fit their parts yet, but as for aesthetics alone, this trailer is two minutes of big, beautiful glamour. The film premieres December 25, 2012.

Comments

rgm
May 14, 2016 7:04 pm

Yes, I do remember recoiling when "hit" by the overwrought, over-spangled Moulin Rouge. But does anyone recall just how good, funny — and simple — Luhrman's freshman effort, "Strictly Ballroom," was??? He actually may need the restraint of a lower budget.

Please stop Luhrmann before he kills cinema….AGAIN! I'm already in debate with friends on whether this is going to be a good or bad film. But just from this trailer, it's going to be absolute torture to watch. I'll stick with the 70's Robert Redford version written by Coppola

i read the thompson on hollywood feature and appreciate/respect your intelligence, excellent writing and most especially your passion for cinema: which you share with the world, through your work… and we are greater for it.

but this preview throws me for a loop… are we really supposed to care that a film has a song by jay z, kayne west or u2 in it- or that is the first thing that is noteworthy about it?

mannerism = the appearance of art.
all surfaces, and shine… with nothing of substance- as in this studio confection.

the director, cast and studio jackals who conceived this abortion should be stranded in the outback. fitzgerald, being the self-promoter that he was, and a huge fan of the movies, won't be spinning in his grave in 3-D, but he should.

that we will only have to endure a relatively brief dose of the usual "for your consideration" tripe, when the marketplace and audiences recoil in horror upon its release, is a small and tender mercy.